Proficio Capital Partners LLC Acquires Shares of 10,049 Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 10,049 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $5,042,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. purchased a new position in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth about $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 37.0% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 186.1% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 348.4% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 139 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In related news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total transaction of $395,391.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total transaction of $939,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. The trade was a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043. 9.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MUSA has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 15th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $510.80.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MUSA traded up $7.30 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $455.74. The stock had a trading volume of 388,538 shares, compared to its average volume of 192,078. The company has a market capitalization of $9.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.83 and a beta of 0.80. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12-month low of $382.04 and a 12-month high of $561.08. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $484.93 and a 200-day moving average of $502.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.79.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.43%. This is a boost from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.10%.

Murphy USA Profile

Murphy USA Inc engages in marketing of retail motor fuel products and convenience merchandise. The company operates retail stores under the Murphy USA, Murphy Express, and QuickChek brands, as well as operates non-fuel convenience stores. It operates retail gasoline stores principally in the Southeast, Southwest, and Midwest United States.